Canadian news anchor calls out body shamer on live TV

A Canadian news anchor has been praised online for directly calling out a viewer on live television for body shaming her, NDTV mentionted.

News anchor Leslie Horton was delivering her usual traffic report on Global News Morning Calgary when she emailed a viewer who criticized her appearance and asked if she was pregnant.

An X user, formerly known as Twitter, shared a video of Horton on the social media platform, showing the moment the news anchor called out the body shamer.

“I love this woman,” the user captioned the video.

In the video, Horton took a moment to address the email directly, saying, “I’m just going to respond to an email I just got saying, ‘Congratulations on your pregnancy.’

He continued, reading aloud the harsh message in the email: “If you’re going to wear old bus driver pants, then you should expect emails like this.” “Well, thanks for that,” he replied sarcastically.

After that, she addressed the person directly for criticizing her choice of outfit, saying: “No, I’m not pregnant. I actually lost my uterus to cancer last year. That’s what women my age look like. So if it’s offensive to you, this is unfortunate.”

She finished her message on air: “Think about the emails you send.”

Social media users praised Horton for her reaction, applauding her for encouraging self-acceptance and standing up to body shaming.

“You are a cancer warrior and a champion for women everywhere! Keep doing what you’re doing!” commented the Canadian Cancer Society.

“Cancer or no cancer Leslie, you’re fine in my book. Hit the haters if it’s not a positive thing, ignore it and keep doing it,” another user wrote.

Unfortunately, the popularity of digital and social media has given rise to body shaming of people on screen.

When appearing in online content, celebrities, athletes, and even regular people often face unpleasant comments about their bodies, which negatively affects their self-esteem and mental health.